Representatives of the Royal Navy were invited to the Greek island of Zakynthos to mark the 50th anniversary of a major earthquake.
The Mayor of the island invited the Athens Embassies of those who had provided humanitarian aid to a weekend of commemorations.
Through the reunions column of Navy News the British Naval Attache Capt John Wills was able to contact the association of HMS Gambia, the Royal Navy warship that took part in the initial stages of the relief operation.
And within a few days it was agreed that the World War II cruiser and the Royal Navy should be represented by the Secretary of the HMS Gambia Association, Les Newman.
Les had been a young regular sailor on board the cruiser at the time of the disaster, and this was his first visit back to Zakynthos, which is also known as Zante.
“The most rewarding aspect of the whole weekend was the opportunity to talk to the earthquake survivors and their families, of which there were plenty,” Les told Navy News.
“I was particularly pleased to have the chance of a long chat with the curator of a private museum dedicated to the earthquake.
“Despite obvious language difficulties, the warm reception and genuine gratitude displayed by the local Greek people meant a great deal.
“I am particularly proud of HMS Gambia’s achievements at the time of the disaster, and the memorial weekend served to reinforce the strong ties between the ship and the island.”
The weekend featured a number of exhibitions and services, including the unveiling of a memorial to the victims – of which Les received a miniature copy.
On the day of the earthquake, August 12, 1953, HMS Gambia was returning to Malta from a tour of duty in the Suez Canal.
Signals were received from the Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean, instructing the ship to sail to Zakynthos and provide emergency disaster relief.
The island was sighted by the ship at 0700 on the following morning, and the town itself was hardly discernible through a thick pall of smoke which hung like a shroud over the quiet streets.
Much of Zakynthos had been burning since the earthquake, and many fires were still blazing when the British cruiser arrived.
The first people ashore from the ship were the Royal Marines and two platoons of seamen, who landed with the specific objective of clearing a road through the town to enable casualties and supplies to be moved.
The work of all parties was made extremely dangerous by the widespread presence of hand grenades which were stored in practically every house, and used by local fishermen to stun fish. These exploded continuously in the heat of the fires.
From time to time aftershocks of the earthquake shook the ground, and could even be felt on board ship, seeming to those on board that depth charges were being exploded in the sea.
Each tremor brought further destruction to the area, adding to the debris until many of the narrow streets were buried to a height of 10ft with fallen bricks and shattered timber.
By late that afternoon, the landing party had succeeded in cutting and blasting a road through to the south of the town, and casualties could be taken to the temporary hospitals for treatment.
On August 15 an American landing craft and another British cruiser, HMS Bermuda, arrived from Malta loaded with jeeps, helicopters and large amounts of medical supplies and food – a welcome sight to HMS Gambia, as she had been coping with the aftermath of the disaster almost single-handedly for two days.
The remainder of that day was spent handing over to her sister ship HMS Bermuda and landing fresh equipment and stores, including numerous bell tents, which were soon erected to form small villages to house the homeless population.
Even more welcome were the large field kitchens which were needed to cope with the feeding arrangements.
Early on August 16, HMS Gambia began to withdraw her equipment and rescue squads. Her sailors exhausted having preferred to carry on the rescue work throughout the night rather than rest.
At midday the cruiser continued her passage to Malta and received a message from the MP for Zakynthos: “Having just come back from Zante, and having worked side-by-side with the Commanding Officer and ship’s company of HMS Gambia, I would like to commend them for their gallantry and services rendered beyond the call of duty.
“We Greeks have a long-standing tradition with the Royal Navy and it lived up to every expectation in its infallible tradition of always being the first to help.
“The high degree of discipline and training of HMS Gambia’s complement produced magnificent results, felt all through the island of Zante.
“May I also convey to you as the Head of Her Britannic Majesty’s Naval Mission here our heartfelt gratitude.”
